Track for motor-boats.



E. DURAND. TRACK FOR MOTOR BOATS. APPLIoATIoN FILED APR. s, 1913.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPM c0 wASnlNarbN, n, c.

TRACK Fon ivroT'oft-isoA's.

ASpecima-ation of Letters Patent'.

Patented Nov. T25, 1918.'

application sied Apri 5, 1913. "serial ivi. 75a`223.

To @ZZ whom z'' maw concern.'

Be it known that I, EMILE DURAND, aA subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Salem, in the county of Essexand Sta-te of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inv rllracks for Motor-Boats, of which the fol-f lowing .is a specification.

This invent-ion relates to tracks for-motorg boats adapted to connect two separated pondsg or other water surfaces, whereby, withoutg stopping, saidmotor'boat may be run onto@ said track and with its propeller engagingj projecting members thereon b e moved over! said track froml one water `surface to and other.

rIhe invention l consists in two" parallel rails having their'ends flaring from 'each other and submerged below the surface "off` ythe features of the present invention, and

showing in section thereon a moto-r boat adapted to be moved over said track. Fig. 2 represents a plan of said track. Fig. 3 represents a transverse section of said track, showing a front view of a motor boat thereon, and Figs. 4c and 5 represent two forms of revoluble projections with which the propeller of a motor boat is adapted to engage to impart movement to the boat along the track.

Similar characters designate like parts throughout the several ligures of the drawmds.

2ln the drawings, 10-10 represent two side members or rails having V-shaped de* pressions or grooves 11 therein. These rails are connected by means of sleepers or other cross members 12, and superimposed upon said sleepers 12, and midway between said rails 10 is the member 13 having secured thereto the upwardly projecting studs 14C, each of which is surrounded by a cylindrical I member A15s`aid cylindricalmember being' prevented from becoming displaced by means ofthe pinsul extending through the stud 14. The cylindrical memberl may be provided Vif desired with peripheral flanges 17, as indicatedI in Fig. 5of the drawings, to Areduce `theffriction when in contact with a movable member., .j

The rails 10 are adapted to be laidon any surface or ground between two ponds or other water surfaces, and their ends are bent downwardly'into these `ponds as indicated in Fig. 1 and submerged therein` The ends 18 of the rails where submerged inthe `water flare away,` from each other as indicated in Fig. 2 of rthe drawings. The inner wall of the flaringends of the rails are out away. as indicated at 19 in K'Fig. 2 "of vthe drawings The object of the device is to provide a means whereby a peculiar-shaped motor .boat 20, such as that disclosed in Letters Patent No. 1,051,838, issued to me on Janu,- ary 28, 1913, may be driven without stopping from one water surface over the tracks laid on land into another pond or water area, the revoluble propeller 21 thereon engaging with the projecting members 111 or 15 to impart movement to said motor boat over said rails 10. This motor boat is provided with keels 22 which run in the bottom of the V-shaped grooves 11 of the railsV 10, thereby reducing the friction on the keel as they move along the rail. It is obvious that these keels may be provided if desired with revoluble members to run in the grooves 11, but as this forms no part of the present invention, it is not disclosed in the drawings.

In the operation of the device the motor boat 20 may be drivenover the surface of a pond and. when it is desired to leave the pond and operate upon an adjacent water surface separated from said pond, the operator directs the motor boat toward the track or runway, and as the boat enters between thel iaring ends 18 the revoluble propeller 21 will engagewith the projections 15 and as the propeller continues to rotate, the boat will be driven along the rails 10 until it enters the other pond or water area.

The device is intended4 primarily for amusement parks,but is adapted to be operated in a theater to produce novel stage effects.

It is believed that the operation and many `combination of a pair of rails; and a advantages of this invention will be fully apparent from the foregoing description.

Havingthus described my invention, I claim:

Y 1. In aV device of the class described, tl-he P u' rality of upwardly extending revoluble cylindrical members interposed between said rails and adapted to be engaged by the revoluble propeller of a boat to impart movement to said boat along said rails.

2.` In a device of the class described, the bombination of a pair of rails; and a plu-v 'rality of upwardly extending revoluble cylindrical members having peripheral flanges thereon and interposed between said rails be engaged by the revoluble propeller of a boat to impart movement to said boat along said rails.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a pair of parallel rails the ends 'of which are submerged in water and ilare from each other; and means interposed between said rails adapted to be engaged by the revoluble propeller of a boat to 1m part movement to said boat along said rails.

5. In a device of the class described, the

`combination of a pair of parallel rails the ends of which are submerged in water. and

flare from each other; and revoluble meansv interposed between said rails adapted to be engaged by the revoluble propeller of a boat to impart movement to said boat along said rails.`

Signed by me at 4 Post Office Sq., Boston, Mass., this 1st day of April, 1918.

" EMILE DURAND. Witnesses:

wWALTER E. LOMBARD, NATHAN C. LOMBARD.

Copies of this patentl may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

